Results of Underwater Excavations at Takashima Island, Japan, Associated With the Mongol Invasion of 1281

Abstract

In October 2024, the authors personally participated in the work of an international expedition to Takashima Island in Nagasaki Prefecture in Japan to study the Takashima-3 underwater site, associated with the Mongol invasion of 1281. This article presents an overview of the main results of long-term research in Imari Bay, where sunken ships are buried. The review is accompanied by a brief excursion into the history of the 13th century Mongol invasions. To date, the remains of three ships have been found, the finds from which confirm the hypothesis that the remains of the ships belong to the naval flotilla of the Mongol Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368).

The main finds from the sunken ships include iron helmets, fragments of quivers with arrows, anchors, stone cannonballs, Chinese and Korean ceramics and porcelain, bronze Buddhist statues and mirrors, and everyday utensils. The archaeological finds from Takashima Island represent an important source of information about the naval history of the region, the technological level of shipbuilding, and the dynamic interaction of the peoples of East Asia in the early 2nd millennium.